


Saranghae

by at1stsoo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, nonAU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 12:12:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13570359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/at1stsoo/pseuds/at1stsoo
Summary: Jongin just wants Kyungsoo to tell him "I love you." A lot.*Nonau based on the Nature Republic fanmeet on 180203





	Saranghae

**Author's Note:**

> Kaisoo are in an established relationship in this au. See my fic [Waxing & Waning: Two Moons](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10514802) for their full story. (Unbeta'd, sorry for any typos.)

Jongin is thankful for this Nature Republic fanmeet. Thankful because it means Kyungsoo is in town again. They’re doing a Vlive before the event, and he’s enjoying having his Soo right next to him. His leg gravitates towards Kyungsoo’s, thighs resting against each other and providing a comforting connection.

 

Soon, it’s show time. (“Showtime!” Baekhyun says to him in a teasing tone, doing the oh-so-extra thumbs up pose from their variety show. Will Jongin ever live down the fact he invented it? As long as Baekhyun has breath, probably not.)

 

They come on stage to the beautiful sound of EXO-Ls cheering and sing some songs before starting the first of several games. After a series of questions, the MC tells them they need to draw balls to determine teams. Jongin reaches in and pulls out a white ball, noticing shortly thereafter that Kyungsoo has drawn a green one. Boo. He does his best to hide his disappointment and pay attention to the rules about this balance beam game where the members have to sort themselves in a certain order.

 

Every time he steals a glance over at Kyungsoo on the other side of the stage, he notices him tap dancing subtly on the beam. _Cuuuute._ He wonders if Kyungsoo even knows that he’s doing it, if it’s a conscious effort to keep up his routines for Swing Kids or if it’s just an adorable habit now. He really hopes it’s the latter; Soo’s working too hard as it is these days. He doesn’t need to be stressing about one job while actively at work at the other.

 

Jongin tries not to worry about Kyungsoo potentially falling off the beam from all the rapid footwork, visions of him twisting an ankle suddenly looming in the back of his mind. As it turns out, it’s not Soo he should be concerned about: a few minutes later, Chanyeol topples over despite his and Sehun’s best efforts to keep him upright. Oops. Jongin can hear Yixing yelling “B A L A N C E!” at them all the way from China.

 

They move on to a game of charades. After the green team completes their round, it’s Jongin’s team’s turn. He’s in the chair trying to guess while Sehun mimes the answer. The maknae is gesticulating wildly to something beside him and puffing out his cheek. Something… cheeky? What? Sehun cheats a little, mouthing _‘member.’_

 

“Suho hyung!” he guesses.

 

His teammates all wince and then start pointing upward. What even… Higher? Maybe they mean someone better? Of greater importance?

 

“D.O. hyung! D.O. hyung! D.O. hyung!”

 

Apparently, that’s not what they were going for. Jongdae seems frustrated out of his mind while Yeol and Sehun keep pointing adamantly to the side of Jongin’s chair. But there’s only—Oh. Up, as in higher in age.

 

“Xiumin hyung.” Okay, yeah. He probably should’ve figured that one out.

 

Their team loses this game, too, and then it’s time to do a group game. The MC explains the process: Someone starts with “Saranghae,” confessing to someone next to them. The recipient can either reject it with a “Shireo” or accept it with a “Saranghae” and then is ‘it,’ and waiting to hear the rejection or acceptance from the other person. The point is to make others laugh and be the last one standing. Jongdae starts off the first round, harassing Junmyeon with “I love you’s” despite getting rejected several times. Junmyeon eventually turns to Jongin with a “Saranghae.” Jongin almost turns to profess his love to Kyungsoo when he realizes that no, he’s supposed to give Junmyeon an answer.

 

Well that’s easy. “Shireo.”

 

Junmyeon tries again, and Jongin cuts him off with another “Shireo.” When the leader turns to Dae, he gets interrupted mid-“Saranghae” and loses his composure, face screwed up with laughter. He admits defeat and removes himself from the lineup.

 

Jongdae and the MC decide that Kyungsoo should start the next round. The singer dutifully nods and turns to Jongin with a quick, “Shireo.”

 

Jongin can’t help but flinch and stare in disbelief, while the members and audience all laugh. There’s an unreasonable disappointment stirring inside Jongin’s chest, even if this was an honest mistake. Petulantly, he fires back. “Me too! I hate you, too!” he exclaims with a big pout.

 

While the MC tries to explain the game again to Kyungsoo, Jongin turns to get consolation from Dae. He might as well play this while thing up for the giggles. (And maaaaaybe a little bit of guilt for his boyfriend, who’ll feel the need to make it up to him later.) “I got hurt all of a sudden!” He appeals to the crowd and Jongdae for sympathy. “All of a sudden, my heart was hurt for no reason!” He points to his chest dramatically and stares at Kyungsoo with wide, puppy dog eyes.

 

Their gazes hold as his boyfriend reaches out for his arm, stroking it and giving a tender squeeze in apology. In that moment, there’s no one in the room but them. “ _Saranghae,”_ Kyungsoo whispers to him with a slight nod. Reassuring him. Of course Kyungsoo loves him. Of course he’d never want to hurt him. They both know this, to the deepest core of their hearts and minds, but Soo will take no chances for even an ounce of uncertainty, slipping in this soft, sincere confession amid the noise and chaos of the game.

 

God, Jongin loves this man. He’s sure it’s evident to Kyungsoo in their shared stare, too.

 

Time speeds back up. “It hurts in here, it hurts,” Jongin insists, purposefully being a big baby about the ordeal, glint of mischief now in his eyes. _Placate me, Soo._ Kyungsoo doesn’t let go of his arm, anchoring them together as the MC reminds everyone they can accept or reject confessions.

 

“Saranghae,” he says with an upward lilt in his tone, sincere doe eyes staring up at Jongin.

 

“Saranghae,” he replies, with a downward lilt in his voice. It sounds like it always does when they say it, every morning in greeting and every night in farewell. A sweet call-and-response that they have, one person opening the declaration with the edge of a question in it, and the other answering it back with certainty, closing the loop of their love.

 

Jongin was actually looking forward to going several rounds back and forth with Kyungsoo like this, out in the open, so he’s almost disappointed when Soo breaks into laughter, instead.

 

“You’re out!” The MC declares, as Kyungsoo scampers off to the side, massive smile plastered all over his face. Jongin can’t hide his glee either. His man is too adorable.

 

A final song, and EXO finishes up the event and treks back to the dorms. After washing up, the two of them settle into Kyungsoo’s bed. Jongin spoons him from behind and nestles into the crook of his neck after pressing a tender kiss there. The overhead light is off, but Kyungsoo has bedside lamp on. He’s in his glasses and reading over his script. A bleak reminder that he’ll need to leave Seoul again in the morning to return to filming.

 

 _Just a few more weeks,_ Jongin reminds himself, nuzzling and kissing the back of Soo’s shaved head again and again to soothe the ache in his heart. Might as well get all the pleasant feels in while he can: The short hairs are so soft and provide a delightful tickle to his lips.

 

“Hyung,” he murmurs a few minutes later, against the back of his boyfriend’s neck. “I have a question for you.”

 

“Hmm?” Kyungsoo responds, eyes not leaving his script.

 

“Why didn’t you play for longer? Why’d you give up so quickly during the ‘I Love You’ game?”

 

“Oh. That’s easy. Because I didn’t want to have to say it to anyone but you.”

 

Such straightforward sincerity. They’ve been together years now, and somehow Kyungsoo can still take Jongin’s breath away, knock him on his ass, with simple, unexpected words. With such honest love.

 

Jongin’s heart grows three sizes in his chest. He reaches out and takes the script gently from Kyungsoo’s hands, setting it on the nightstand. Kyungsoo, eyebrows raised in slight confusion, rolls from his side onto his back to look up at Jongin, who is hovering over him now.

 

Jongin feels the corners of him mouth turn up in a soft smile as he carefully removes the glasses from Soo’s face and sets them on top of the script before turning back and giving those beautiful eyes his full attention. Tenderly, Jongin speaks: “Saranghae.”

 

“Saranghae,” comes the heartfelt reply.

 

“Saranghae,” Jongin says again.

 

“Saranghae,” Kyungsoo replies with a smile, catching on to what he’s doing.

 

“Saranghae.”

 

“Saranghae.”

 

The next one is whispered a breath away from heart-shaped lips as Jongin leans in close, letting their bodies come in full contact from chest to toes as he lowers himself down from where he’s been hovering above the love of his life. “Saranghae.”

 

Kyungsoo closes the gap, pressing their lips together in a soft kiss. “Saranghae,” he whispers mid-kiss, fingers carding through Jongin’s long hair before tugging him forward to bring him closer, to kiss him harder.

 

Jongin blindly feels for the switch on the lamp, turning it off while doing his best to turn Kyungsoo on by deepening the kiss and gliding a tongue inside his mouth.

 

There’s no telling how many Saranghae’s are said that night, but they exchange them constantly as they indulge in each other, physically and emotionally.

 

No room has ever been filled so much love.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sources for all the Nature Republic goodness:
> 
>   * Kaisoo thighs touching during Vlive 
>   * Soo [tap dancing](https://twitter.com/at1stsoo/status/960157287364136960) on the beam
>   * Yeol falling down, [this crazy mess](https://twitter.com/sebaeksalot/status/959844808788410368), wat r u doin
>   * Yixing’s obsession with [Balance!](https://youtu.be/C1_B-hUvJGw?t=19s)
>   * [This charade](https://youtu.be/2JL46Xz8_Fg?t=56m7s) with Nini yelling D.O. hyung three times in a row, lmao
>   * The I Love You exchange with [Kyungsoo's gentle whisper to Jongin at the start of it](https://at1stsoo.tumblr.com/post/170461037178/rimon4-kaisoo-the-owner-of-the-post-own) OTL ;____; MY. HEART. This was EVERYTHING orz
> 

> 
> God, I love Kaisoo. Hope you enjoyed this oneshot. Please leave me some love in the comments section if you did - I always reply! :-* Saranghae, readers.
> 
> At1stsight/at1stsoo
> 
> [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/at1stsoo) | [Tumblr](http://at1stsoo.tumblr.com) | [Curiouscat](http://curiouscat.me/At1stsight)


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